With the holiday season in full swing, CJ McCollum recently partnered with American Express to help give back. As part of the partnership, a percentage of each purchase made using an Amex card on NBAStore.com through Christmas is being donated to the Boys & Girls Club of America.
We recently caught up with McCollum, who spent a good portion of his childhood at the Boys & Girls Club in Ohio, to talk about the importance of his partnership and the NBA.
SLAM: Why was it important for you to partner with American Express and the Boys & Girls Club?
CJ McCollum: It’s extremely important to me. One, I spent a lot of time at the Boys & Girls Club and it impacted my life, gave me a safe space and an opportunity to do something positive outside of playing sports and being able to find other kids and have that structure, so it was crucial to me. They’re doing a lot of good things in the community with the partnership with American Express and the NBA—anyone who spends money on NBAstore.com with their Amex card before December 25, 10 percent of the total spent will go to the Boys & Girls Club, so I’m excited about the things they’re doing and how it’s impacting the kids now.
SLAM: Do you have any favorite Boys & Girls Club memories from your childhood?
CM: Man, a lot, honestly. Playing a lot of basketball [and] pool; I was really nice in ping-pong back in the day, now I’m not. Just being able to go there early on the weekends and after school during the week just gave me an escape from distractions outside of the neighborhood, kept me focused and allowed me to do homework and focus on certain things I may not have focused on if it wasn’t for the Boys & Girls Club.
SLAM: You’ve done a ton of charity events, what are some of the common questions you get from the kids?
CM: What kind of car do you drive? How big is your house? Did you go to the Boys & Girls Club growing up? How did I work on my jump shot? The main message I try to give kids is take advantage of the resources and the Boys & Girls Club, ask questions and don’t be afraid to challenge yourself in the classroom… I just try to encourage the kids to not be afraid to do the right thing all the time—ask questions. One of the reasons why I became successful in the classroom was that I wasn’t afraid to ask for help, and I think that’s what allowed me to be successful outside of sports.
SLAM: We recently asked fans who would win one-on-one, prime Kevin Durant or prime Tracy McGrady? Who do you think and why?
CM: Man, that’s a tough question and it’s funny you ask. I’m friends with both—T-Mac’s my guy and has helped me over the course of my career in terms of just understanding the game better, meditate and see the game before playing. Obviously people know I know KD, but that’s my homie…you look at their games and they’re similar—explosive, scoring wings, tall, who can play the 3 the 4 and the 2 as well—but look at their primes: T-Mac was unbelievable. [He averaged] 32 points per game, scored 13 points in 32 seconds; Prime KD is another very, very good player. I really think it depends on who gets the ball first, honestly. Both very good, hard to guard…it just depends on who gets the ball first and dribble limits. I think the dribble limit will matter because that cuts out creativity and they’d have to work on the fadeaway, and they both have fadeaways. I think it’ll be a very good game. I’m not going to say who I think will win because this is a hypothetical that’ll never happen, but I think it’d be a good game. I’d pay to see it. I think one-on-one would be enjoyable for the fans especially in the All-Star setting.
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SLAM: So you’re in favor of something like King of the Court during All-Star Weekend?
CM: Oh man, that’d be a lot of fun. Guys would really compete and get after it because it’ll be mano a mano. A lot of creativity comes from playing one-on-one. You see Celtics guys playing after practice. I know a lot guys around the League in the summertime like to play ones. I’ve played ones with Melo, CP, Donovan [Mitchell], D-Wade—the list goes on and on… That one-on-one is always a good way to warm up and get loose. I would love to see it, man. It’s the ultimate challenge because it’s just you and another person and you get to work on your moves and counters.
SLAM: To you, who’s the best one-on-one guy in the League right now?
CM: Man, that’s tough. Dame is good one-on-one; Kyrie is good; KD, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George—there’s a lot of really good one-on-one players with handles that can shoot over the top of you. I don’t know who’s the best, per se, but there’s a lot of guys who can get buckets.
SLAM: Is there at least a top-5 list?
CM: You trying to get me in trouble, fam. You trying to get me headlines. I don’t know, man. I like my game.
SLAM: Another question we asked fans was, ‘Who is the best player to ever wear No. 3?’ What’s your pick and why?
CM: I’ll give two NBA and two WNBA. For me, one is Allen Iverson. I had braids, crossover, everything—so I emulated my playing style and my swagger on the court after A.I. D-Wade is another one who was influential in me wearing No. 3 with how he attacked the basket and was fearless. Going to Marquette he was under the radar…WNBA [is] Diana Taurasi. I’m a fan of her game—always got buckets, poised, big shot, controls the offense [and] was a winner in college. Candace Parker is a very talented athlete. She can get to the cup, has post moves, point-forward.
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SLAM: Do NBA players discuss these type of questions or is that just for the media?
CM: Yeah, I think it’s something y’all do to start up stuff. With me having a podcast and being involved in journalism, I get why it starts. You have to look forward to something over seven months…we just like watching good games. We don’t care who the matchup is. We just want to see guys compete.
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Drew Ruiz is an Associate Editor for SLAM. Follow him on Twitter at @DrewRuiz90.
Photos via Getty Images.
